


When Did We Become 'Us,' Anyway?

by KeyserSozin



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: And maybe a little something else, And titles, Cuteness and Silliness, F/F, Fluff, Humor, I'm Bad At Tagging, Post-Canon, and summaries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-12-15 22:37:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11815593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KeyserSozin/pseuds/KeyserSozin
Summary: Pema and Tenzin's fifteenth wedding anniversary gives Korra and Asami a chance to talk about their own milestones, where they go from here, and do a little 'celebrating' of their own.





	When Did We Become 'Us,' Anyway?

The last rays of evening had given way to full dark by the time the sounds of laughter, song, and good cheer died down on Air Temple Island. The guests at Pema and Tenzin's fifteenth anniversary celebration had been trickling out for over an hour, and the last of them were now saying their fond farewells. Asami's soft curls, blown by the sea breeze, tickled Korra's bare shoulder as they walked arm-in-arm beneath the stars toward the ferry pier.

 

“They're still so cute, you know? Nobody can fluster Tenzin quite like Pema,” Korra chuckled.

 

“He turns so red!” Asami laughed. “It's adorable.”

 

“Fifteen years, four kids, and he's still as shy as a schoolboy when she kisses him on the cheek. That's love right there,” Korra sighed contentedly.

 

Not missing her cue, Asami leaned in close and kissed Korra's cheek. Making the Avatar blush was one of her talents as well.

 

“Fifteen years seems like a strange number to celebrate, don't you think? I mean, the tenth is a big deal, but I wouldn't expect a big party after that until the twentieth or twenty-fifth,” Asami mused.

 

“There you go thinking again,” Korra bumped her with her hip. “ _I_ think it's great. They should celebrate them like this every year, as far as I'm concerned.”

 

“Do your parents have big anniversary parties?” Asami asked.

 

“No, not really. But we don't have a big family. It's just the three of us,” Korra paused for a moment. “Well, four.” She smiled up at Asami and slipped her arm around the taller girl's waist.

 

It had been a tiny risk, and Korra was relieved when Asami smiled back. She knew her girlfriend loved her parents, and that they loved Asami too. She also knew, though, that her parents could never truly replace the ones Asami had lost. And then there had been that awkwardness right after their Spirit World vacation...

 

Charging off to announce their brand new relationship to her parents hadn't been one of Korra's better ideas, but she had learned a lot about communicating in the intervening five months. Between Tokuga and the spirits, she and Asami had been through so much together in such a short time; let alone Kuvira, Zaheer, and everything else they endured before they had really become a couple. Even without a specific date they could point to, Korra couldn't help but feel like they deserved some sort of celebration of their own.

 

“We should have an anniversary!” Korra blurted out, realizing too late that she'd left the rest of her train of thought back at the station.

 

Asami raised an amused eyebrow. “If that's a marriage proposal, I'm not saying no, but I am going to let you take a mulligan and try again some other time.”

 

Korra flushed, mostly at her own inability to articulate her thoughts, but she also hadn't meant to go _there..._

 

“No, I mean, I guess it isn't super clear when we became 'us,' you know? We both wanted this for a long time, but when did it really start? Was it Varrick and Zhu Li's wedding? Our vacation? Afterward when we told everyone?” Korra had stopped walking, and was now shrugging her shoulders in bewilderment.

 

“How about our first kiss?” Asami suggested.

 

“I thought about that too, but that was in the Spirit World, and time's all weird there. Do we even know what day it was here, in our world?”

 

“I hadn't considered that,” Asami admitted. “Well, how about the day you came back?”

 

“Mmm, that was a good day,” Korra hummed wistfully. “Awkward at times, but good.”

 

“I think back on that day and it feels like... like there's this bright line separating everything before I saw you standing there, after three long years, and everything that came after,” Asami took Korra's hands in her own, inching closer.

 

“I knew I wanted to tell you how I felt that day, all the things I hadn't said while I was away... but I still wasn't right with myself. I was close, but I still had so much doubt... I don't think I could've handled it if you didn't feel the same way.”

 

“And here I didn't think I could have been any more obvious if I held up a sign,” Asami laughed quietly.

 

“Hey, I told you I had no idea what it was like to have girl friends. I didn't know you were into women. I just thought you were really affectionate.” She held up their hands between them, fingers interlaced, as if that explained everything. Asami took the opportunity to press a soft, chaste kiss to her lips. “Really, really affectionate,” Korra added with a smirk.

 

“Well, neither did I, at first. I guess you're just my type,” Asami grinned.

 

“Lucky me,” Korra tilted her head up, fishing for another kiss. Asami obliged.

 

“Come on,” Asami was all smiles as she tugged Korra onward down the path. “I'm going to miss the last ferry.”

 

“Would that be so bad?”

 

Asami made no reply, and as they reached the dock, she didn't hesitate until she already had one foot aboard. With Korra's hand still in hers, she turned.

 

“Well, it was a lovely night,” she said noncommittally. It wasn't quite 'goodnight.'

 

It was a dance the two of them had done ever since returning from the Spirit World. Korra still technically lived on Air Temple Island, although she'd spent many a night at Asami's penthouse apartment.

 

“Do you, uh, have to be up early tomorrow?” Korra asked, backing into the subject, rubbing the back of her neck with her free hand.

 

“Not any earlier than usual. Do you?” Asami replied, her face uncertain.

 

“I don't think so. Should I--?”

 

“Do you--?”

 

“Are you getting on the boat or not?” the White Lotus sentry interrupted, exasperated. Neither girl had even noticed him standing there.

 

They both shot daggers at him with their eyes. “Give us a minute!” they shouted in tandem. He backed up a few steps, hands out defensively.

 

Asami bit her lip. “You can stay at my place tonight if you'd like.”

 

“I'd love to,” Korra smiled, relieved.

 

Both safely aboard, they found a quiet spot to sit for the brief trip back across the bay. Asami nuzzled in close to Korra's neck as they held each other as much for warmth as for comfort.

 

At some point during the journey, Asami leaned in close to Korra's ear.

 

“You know,” she whispered,” we could always celebrate the anniversary of the first time we...”

 

“Mmm, I'm not waiting a year for that.”

 

* * *

 

The next morning, Korra had been abruptly called away to the Fire Nation to address fears that angry spirits were causing volcanic activity on one of the islands. Apparently the price of leaving the Spirit Portals open was that she got to play mediator every single time the two worlds intersected to one or the other's detriment. It had been a long week, made longer by the fact that she hadn't seen Asami at all.

 

Finally back in Republic City, she stood at the door to Asami's penthouse and knocked expectantly. She smiled as she looked down at the neatly-wrapped parcel under her arm.

 

“Come in, it's open!” Asami's voice was audible but muffled through the door. Even so, after a week without hearing it, the sound was balm for Korra's soul. She smoothed her hair and tugged at the bottom of her tunic to straighten it before finally reaching for the door knob.

 

The heavenly scent hit her nose immediately. As she closed the door behind her, the warm, earthy aromas of well-seasoned cooking drew her in. The lights were low, but she could see the soft flicker of candles emanating from the dining room.

 

“Hungry?” a voice purred low from somewhere behind her.

 

She turned to find Asami framed in the bedroom doorway, wrapped loosely in her pink satin robe. Korra felt her jaw slacken at the sight, and the temperature of the room was suddenly about ten degrees hotter.

 

“Dinner is ready...” Asami shrugged the robe from her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. “...or we could start with dessert.”

 

* * *

 

“I can't believe you,” Asami sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose with one hand and holding her robe closed with the other.

 

“What?” Korra asked around a mouthful of dumplings. “I was starving, and it smelled so good!”

 

“Well at least now I know where I rate,” Asami muttered, pushing noodles around her plate with her chopsticks.

 

“Oh please,” Korra waved dismissively, still stuffing her face with her other hand. “I can eat fast. Besides,” she flashed her eyebrows suggestively,” I need the energy so I can take my time with 'dessert.'”

 

“More like you'll pass out on the couch in a food coma,” Asami huffed, still pouting.

 

“Promise I won't,” Korra slurped loudly at her noodles. “How was your week?”

 

“Oh, it was fine. Putting out fires, plotting world domination. The usual,” Asami shrugged. “Yours?”

 

“About the same,” Korra punctuated with a glug of her tea. “Prevented a geological disaster. Talked spirits and humans out of killing each other. Same old.”

 

“ _Talked?_ ” Asami raised an eyebrow.

 

Korra set her cup down. She smiled sheepishly. “You could say I speak a lot of languages.”

 

“Yeah? How many of them involve bending tornadoes and flying boulders at people who won't listen to you?” Asami smirked.

 

“My native tongue,” she grinned and set back to work on her noodles.

 

She felt Asami's approving gaze warming her, even as she focused on her plate. It felt great to be back. With her stomach nearly sated, a different appetite was beginning to demand her attention.

 

“Okay,” she said, mouth full. “Two more bites.” Korra held up two fingers for emphasis.

 

Asami raised an amused eyebrow. Korra put one finger down as she shoveled another pile of noodles into her face, then the last one as she swallowed a dumpling whole. She slid her chair back abruptly and stood up, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand.

 

Korra made her way around to Asami's side of the table. When Asami reached a hand up, though, Korra instead crouched down, hands on knees, and patted her lower back.

 

“Giddy-up.”

 

Asami rolled her eyes and stood up unassisted.

 

“Leave that here,” Korra tugged at the edge of Asami's robe.

 

She felt the soft, warm press of skin on her back and shoulders. Asami's ankles hooked securely around her waist, and Korra trundled out of the dining room.

 

“You better not hit my knee on the do—OW!”

 

“Sorry!

 

* * *

 

 

“For the record, piggy-back rides are sooo not sexy,” Asami groaned.

 

Korra snickered, still reveling in their post-coital glow. She aimed a kiss for Asami's cheek, but came up short somewhere around her jawline.

 

“I could have carried you bridal-style, but then it would have been a concussion instead of a bruised knee.”

 

Asami scoffed, and Korra saw her hands move beneath the sheets.

 

“Ow OW OW! Hey! No pinching!” Korra shrieked, and now it was Asami's turn to dissolve into a fit of laughter. Korra huffed, and then silenced her with a kiss. She could still feel Asami smiling against her lips.

 

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Korra broke their embrace and crawled out of bed haphazardly. She bounded out into the living room to retrieve the package she had brought, not bothering to cover herself. Sauntering back into the bedroom, she held the small box out in front of her.

 

“Ta da!” she chirped triumphantly.

 

“For me?” Asami sat up, holding the sheets up to her neck. Korra nodded proudly.

 

Asami took the gift gingerly, delicately untying the bow at the top before unfolding the wrapping paper, careful not to rip anything.

 

Korra tapped her foot impatiently.

 

Asami lifted the lid of the white cardboard box and freed a jumble of tissue paper. Korra's stomach twisted in exquisite satisfaction as she watched the pupils of Asami's gorgeous green eyes dilate.

 

Finally Asami held up her prize – two turtleducks, huddled together, wrought in silver.

 

'They're beautiful, Korra,” Asami's hushed voice was filled with wonder. “Did you bend these yourself?”

 

Korra nodded proudly, beaming. “They're inkwells. There are little holes in each of their shells for a quill,” she pointed.

 

Asami turned the figure over in her hands, inspecting. “This is going right on my desk in my office.” She hugged the turtleducks to her chest. “What's the occasion?”

 

Korra sat on the bed next to her, their bare hips touching. She took a deep breath and reached for Asami's hand. “I was thinking about the other night, as we were leaving Tenzin's. It would have been right around this time two years ago that I finally wrote back to you. It took me so long to figure everything else out, but at least by then I had realized how I felt about you. I can't thank you enough for all the letters you wrote to me, and for just... being patient.”

 

Asami pulled Korra tightly into her arms and held her for a long moment. “Thank you,” she whispered back.

 

When they finally pulled apart, Asami had a quiet smile on her face. “You beat me to it, but I have something for you too.” She wrapped herself in the bed sheet and padded over to a closet.

 

Korra tilted her head, trying to get a good look at Asami's backside through the sheet. She just couldn't help herself.

 

Stretching to her tip-toes to reach the highest shelf, much to Korra's delight, Asami finally returned with something wide and flat. It sagged in the center as she held it between her hands, and looked to be made of rubber.

 

When she sat down next to Korra again, she turned it over in her lap. It was a rubber mat, with the cartoonish image of a polar bear dog curled up asleep. The words “WELCOME HOME” were printed in large block letters around the image.

 

“Aw, it looks like Naga,” Korra cooed. “This is so cute. Is this for me?”

 

Asami nodded. “That's not all, though. It comes with something else.”

 

She held out the key she'd been palming, and shook it on its ring once for emphasis. It made a pleasant little jingle.

 

It was Korra's turn for her eyes to go wide. “Is this... for here?”

 

Asami nodded, her mouth drawn in a tight smile.

 

“Are you asking me to move in with you, or am I reading too much into this?”

 

Asami nodded again, snickering nervously at Korra's obtuse question. The battle between trepidation and hope was plain in her eyes.

 

Korra wrapped her tightly and kissed her cheek. “Are you sure?” she whispered through the lovely mass of waves and curls. She felt Asami nod into her shoulder once again.

 

“I was thinking about the other night, too,” Asami began. “We might not have an official 'start' date, but I feel like we've reached a point...”

 

She collected herself, her hands on both of Korra's shoulders, looking her straight in the eye. “I want to come home to you, and I want you to come home to me. Not just once in a while, or when we have time... all the time. Always.”

 

Korra was starting to tear up, despite herself. She took the key and turned it over in her hands. It was strange how little bits of metal kept making enormous impacts on her life.

 

“You know I'll have to go away sometimes, right? That's... what being the Avatar is all about,” she chewed on the inside of her cheek, studying the key's little ridges.

 

Asami shushed her gently. “I know, I understand that part. I just want home for you to be here, with me.”

 

Korra nodded, smiling so hard she thought her face would hurt, and still holding back tears. She held up the welcome mat. “Does this mean Naga can come too?”

 

Asami smiled, “My furniture will hate me for it, but yes, Naga can come too. If we can figure out how to get her in and out of here, anyway.”

 

Korra was overcome. “You're the best,” she breathed, and kissed Asami hard. Asami returned it with fervor, and they clung to one another.

 

“If that's a yes, I can mark our calendar for next year,” Asami said breathlessly when they finally broke apart again. “This can be our 'anniversary,' for now.” She gave Korra's hand a squeeze.

 

“Our calendar. On our wall. In our home,” Korra shook her head. She could still scarcely believe it, but it sounded sweeter every time.

 

“Sounds perfect.”


End file.
